The US capital's renowned John F. Kennedy arts center is to be renamed the "Trump-Kennedy Center" after President Donald Trump, the White House has announced.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the centre's board has voted for the change because of the Republican's "unbelievable work" in overhauling the famed venue.
They did so “because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building,” Leavitt said.
“Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur,” she said.
Pinnacle of American cultural excellence
The US president, elected chair by a newly constituted board in February, has often joked about referring to the performing arts centre as the “Trump Kennedy Center.”
In a Truth Social post, Trump shared pictures of a newly painted colonnade on the outside of the building below a caption praising “the new TRUMP KENNEDY, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, columns.”
Days after returning to the office, Trump unveiled a plan to dismantle the existing board of trustees and remove its chairman, billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein.
Since then, he has moved to remake the institution in his own image.
Kennedy Centre derives its prestige from its status as the United States' official national cultural centre, established by Congress as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, who championed the arts as vital to democracy.
The centre hosts world-class programming, including over 2,000 annual performances in theatre, dance, opera, and music, and serves as home to the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, renowned for exceptional acoustics and grand architecture.
The annual Kennedy Centre Honours, since 1978, recognise lifetime achievements in the performing arts, often dubbed the "Oscars of the arts" — further elevating its reputation as a pinnacle of American cultural excellence.
